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In master Italian storyteller Umberto Eco’s latest novel, “The Prague Cemetery,” the despicable and horrifically offensive narrator says, “Their abuse of beer makes them incapable of having the slightest notion of their vulgarity, and the height of this vulgarity is that they feel no shame in being German.” I mention this not only because it’s funny (in an admittedly cruel way), but because recently the gathered worldwide automotive media was told — by a man with a straight face — that power-wise, the new Porsche Panamera GTS “nicely fills the gap” between the 400-horsepower Panamera 4S and the 500-horsepower Turbo. Perhaps more unbelievably, the GTS marks the ninth (ninth!) iteration of the Panamera. Ford (somehow) hasn’t even dreamed up that many versions of the Mustang, and keep in mind there are 22 flavors of Porsche 911 currently for sale. To cop Mr. Eco’s style for a moment — he did write “The Infinity of Lists,” after all — the choices range from Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera S, Panamera 4S, Panamera Diesel, Panamera S Hybrid, Panamera Turbo, and Panamera Turbo S to this car, the new Panamera GTS. How German is that?

“Supreme performance is a concept that will never become cliched as far as Porsche is concerned,” says the same straight-faced man in a preemptive response to what I was about to ask, which was, “Does that horsepower gap need to be filled?” Make no mistake, Porsche is totally unrepentant about its newest model. (Later on, while chatting online with a friend in New York City, I personally had a difficult time explaining the outright necessity of a more than two-ton luxury sedan that also doubles as a fairly convincing track car.) Moreover, there is no indication or evidence that Porsche is done with Panamera model proliferation. I asked about something like a Panamera GT2, with a more fully uncorked twin-turbo V-8 and rear-wheel drive. The Porsche people just looked at me incredulously and delivered some version of, “While we are happy to talk about the GTS, today we will not comment on future products.” Don’t forget, the Panamera is just three years into its product cycle.

Let’s describe the new GTS in detail. Though Porsche won’t just say it, the GTS essentially contains all of the most sportive Panamera options in a single vehicle with a more powerful engine. The headline-grabber is that under its hood sits the strongest version yet of Porsche’s naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V-8. Thanks to some reworked air induction and hotter camshafts from the Turbo-spec motor (the valves now rise 1mm higher) the engine’s output is 430 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, up 30 hp and 15 lb-ft from 400/369 in the Panamera S/S4. But rather than just adding more power (like Porsche did when it turbocharged the 4.8-liter V-8 to create the Turbo) Porsche decided to go whole performance hog, hence the moniker GTS. It claims this 4200-ish-pound four-door lives up to that storied abbreviation of Gran Turismo Sport, to the point that the second sentence of the press materials mentions the first ever Porsche GTS, the 1963 904 GTS. Big gulp!

So what else, then? The air suspension is different than in the other Panameras. It’s stiffer and lower by 10mm. This suspension is called PDCC (one of the approximately seventy jillion abbreviations that Porsche packs into the GTS) and stands for Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. It’s a $5000 option on other Panameras, plus another $1990 for the air suspension, but it’s standard here. Also optional on other models but standard on the GTS is Porsche’s torque-vectoring rear end, called PTV Plus, as well as the Sport Chrono Pack, which adds Sport+ as a transmission/throttle response option. You also get the bigger brakes from the Turbo model. Front and rear tracks are widened by 10mm by way of 5mm wheels spacers.

Externally, Porsche followed the route laid down by the Cayman R and blacked out the headlights, sills, and the quad exhaust pipes. The leading edge of the front spoiler has also been blacked out, giving the GTS’ face a snake-y, anaconda appearance. In back, you’ll find the rising and extending wing spoiler of the Turbo and Turbos S models. I’m still not sure why the Cayman R wasn’t called the Cayman GTS, especially because on that launch Porsche brought along the 1963 904 GTS (and Walter Roehl, the man who raced and won LeMans in it). No matter, as GTS has come to symbolize the best-of-breed version of a modern Porsche. Like the previous generation Cayenne GTS, the 997 GTS was not the fastest 911, but it was arguably the best to drive.

Inside the cabin, the big news is the Alcantara-covered seats and a Panamera version of Porsche’s Sound Symposer, essentially two sound tubes running into the base of the A-pillars that pipe in engine noise, much like Ford did with the Bullitt Mustang.

Yes, yes, it’s loaded with goodies. But how does it drive? Impressively. So impressively that Porsche brought us to the very southern part of Spain and turned us loose on Ascari, the gorgeous private racetrack built in 2000 near Ronda. But first we had a 90-minute drive through some of Andalusia’s most stunning mountain roads. On the street, the most notable difference between the GTS and other non-Sound Symposer’d Panameras is, of course, the sound. My notes say, “Deep, textured, throaty, growly, lovely, layered, mean.” Performance on the street was solid, unflappable, and confidence-inspiring. The large, sticky tires (255/45/19 front, 285/40/19 rear) and widened track provide massive grip, and the AWD system smartly and forcefully puts the increased power down. Carving canyons in the GTS, I got the same feeling I get from other high-horsepower (and of course high-dollar) AWD sports cars like a Bentley GT or a Nissan GT-R. There exists a certain invulnerability, a testament much more to the GTS’ capabilities than my driving prowess. That said, I had fun driving it quickly.

On the Ascari circuit it’s more of the same, however you have the ability to push harder and focus on individual behaviors in a given corner. Right off the bat I notice that compared to its Turbo brother or competition like an AMG, the GTS feels slow on the straights. Perhaps that’s a testament to how spoiled I’ve become, but the reality is that most sedans in this price range ($109,900 to start, easily increased by $50,000 with Porsche’s online configurator, and the sky’s the limit from there) make more than 500 horsepower. However, in Sport+, it is nice to experience the direct, instantaneous throttle response you really only get from a naturally aspirated motor. One cool trick: Rather than cutting engine revs during an upshift, the GTS motor briefly turns off two of the cylinders, cutting power but not engine momentum. Go, science! Cornering is really where the GTS distinguishes itself from other sedans. Turn-in is sports-car sharp, and thanks to PDCC, the chassis stays remarkably flat around corners. Not only that, but quick side-to-side transitions don’t allow the car’s considerable bulk to upset the chassis.

I drove three different GTS cars around the track, all mechanically identical but with differently optioned interiors. Two of the cars were equipped with multi-function steering wheels that offer those dreadful push/pull gear-change buttons. The inherent weakness of their design shows up specifically on the track, when under braking with the wheel cranked slightly to the left and all of your upper body weight transferred onto your right palm, you inadvertently upshift. The much better solution is the button-free, Alcantara-wrapped wheel that places the PDK paddles behind the steering wheel, where they belong. Even the trackside Porsche people agreed with that assessment and told me to just go and drive the GTS with paddles. Other than that flaw, if you really do need to take a sedan onto a racetrack, the Panamera GTS is the one to get the job done. Dare I toss out the four-door sports car bon mot? Let’s just say that the Panamera GTS is sportier than a Nissan Maxima. Most other cars on the road, too.